


The Burning Wolf

by Nick_Sage



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Blind Character, Family, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:48:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25214935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nick_Sage/pseuds/Nick_Sage
Summary: When the Lord of Light brings Jon Snow back to life, He is kept alive by the Eternal Flame that is burning within him. This impaired his vision that practically makes him blind. Jon uses the Flame's power to increase his other senses beyond it's limit to compensate for this deficit.His goal to seek Justice for all the crimes committed against his family and to defeat the Night King's ever growing Army of the dead, places Jon as one of the leading contenders to claim the Iron Throne along with Daenerys Targaryen.Between contending Daenerys' claim to the throne and seeking her help in defeating the Night king's Army and some birth secrets thrown in the mix, Can Jon turn his Tragic Love affair into a classic fairy tale romance?
Relationships: Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark, Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen
Comments: 25
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01: Vision on fire

Davos made his way through the corridors of castle black looking at small groups of wildlings scattered across the courtyard. He was amazed by their ability to adapt to their surroundings without giving away any part of their usual lifestyle. He could imagine them occupied with the same routine during their time beyond the wall as if nothing has changed.  
The same could not be said for his own lifestyle as he was witness to yet another incident that defies any humanly logic to every existed. Among the list of crazy things he bore witness with his own eyes, he couldn’t quite tell which one was more creepy, a dark figure crawling out of a woman’s privates or a dead man returning back to life or even the fact that the common denominator on both these incidents is the Red woman. Thinking about her sends shivers down his spine.  
“I am telling you, nothing good happens when that woman is involved” he thought to himself.  
On reaching the elevator, Davos noticed the stand in lord commander Edd (as he liked to call) stepping out of the cabin.  
“Good day, Lord commander. The cloak suits you” Davos greeted him.  
Edd just paused on his movement and stared at the Knight, “Does this face looks like it’s having a good day?”  
Davos could only hide a chuckle, “oh you are still trying to change his mind? It’s been a week now; I suggest you get used to the feeling that you are the Lord Commander”  
“He was already a stubborn log of little to no emotions and ever since his visit to the Gods, he’s gotten worse. This is the guy who been dodging wall duty ever since he joined the watch and now he sets camp on top” Edd vents.  
Davos could sense the frustration on the lad’s voice. He couldn’t blame him. He was as loyal as anyone can get and probably made his mind to follow his Lord commander into the important battle that awaits. And suddenly, now his commander drops cloak and the lad has some deep shoes to fill in. Any one in his position would feel the pressure  
“He’ll come around. He just needs the push, the motivation. He’ll find it soon enough” said Davos as he entered the elevator cabin. “Just hold the fort below, you’ll be fine”  
Edd scoffs at his reassurance and walks away.  
It was a long way to the top, and the higher he goes, the smaller the terrain below becomes and farther he could see. He thought about the King he used to serve, he must be a corpse now, decomposed to the core. Ever since the incident, learning that Stannis had fallen in battle he has been thinking a lot.  
Almost at the top, he could hear sounds of sword slashing through a hard surface, probably ice. He traced the sound to it’s source and found the man he was looking for, “Nice view from the top eh… I didn’t notice it was this beautiful the first time I was here” Davos said to the man swinging a, what looks like a blunt sword, at this huge boulder of ice without wearing a shirt. “Enjoying the summer I see” he joked.  
Jon turned to face him. It’s been a week since he miraculously came back from the dead. After the traitors have been executed, Jon had been taken refuge at the top of the wall to stay out of sight. He said he needed some time alone to accept his new reality or his destiny as the Red woman called it.  
Davos couldn’t blame him, coming back from the dead changed Jon’s personality a lot but the reason for that would be the state in which he was brought back. Jon tells him his body underwent some changes like how there is fire that’s burning within him that can be literally seen through his eyes which he said it practically makes him blind. And given that he doesn’t feel the cold even after being shirtless on top of this 700 feet wall like he’s on a vacation enjoying the warm beaches of Dragonstone. When Jon turned to face him, Davos could see his eyes and see the fire burning, “Here, I brought you some food… It sure is bloody cold up here” Davos said, feeling the chill breeze already reaching his skin.  
Jon smiled, made his way next to the old man, “It is a funny, the fire that’s burning within me keeps my body so warm that I hardly feel the cold out here” Jon took the food from Davos and immediately devoured it before it became frozen solid.  
“What do you actually see, in your vision?” Davos asked Jon, his curiosity peaked.  
“Like the whole world is on fire?” Jon gave a questionable response. He wasn’t sure if that’s how it is but he could definitely get the sense of the world burning. “Like looking at you, all I can see is a shadow in shape of a man but everything else around you is like it is burning”  
Davos wasn’t sure what would be the ideal response to that. He wanted to be subtle so that his questions don’t creep out the guy to make him think he is already the farthest guy from a human.  
“You are probably thinking how can I be considered a human anymore” Jon spoke, like he was reading the old man’s mind. He didn’t need to be a psychic to figure that out. It is after all the normal response.  
Davos doesn’t answer that, “you know you should really cut the new lord commander some slack. He’s starting to lose it” he wanted to change the subject.  
“He needs to get used to it, Davos” Jon says bluntly.  
“Well, to make things worse, it doesn’t really help him when he is not sure what you are doing on top of this wall when the dead are marching towards us. A lot of people are wondering that. Some wildlings think that you really did become a god” Davos says, to keep the conversation going. This is the most Jon has ever spoken to anyone in this week and Davos of all people knows that talking helps ease the stress. He learned that when he was thrown in the cell by Stannis when he let the Robert Baratheon’s bastard escape. When he was starting to lose his mind, he was able to find some peace after talking to the princess Shireen.  
“It is for that reason I am here. Due to my loss of sight, I thought it would seriously affect my ability to fight and thought I would become weak. So I came here to train and compensate for the deficit. Now that my body is able to withstand this cold, I am training on this high altitude to become stronger. In fact, the I would say the loss of my vision made me even stronger” Jon explains.  
“How so?” asked Davos, confused.  
“Even though I can’t see, it feels like my other senses, like sense of hearing, taste and smell have risen to an incredible hights. For instance, you were on your way up to here, I could hear you in the elevator, you were humming something” Jon further explains.  
Davos was astonished but Jon went on, “I could also tell that you met with Edd as his scent is still looming over you, you also passed through the wildlings as I could get their scent on you. It drastically improves my swordsmanship as I no longer have any blind spots. So instead of seeing my disability as a handicap, I thought of turning it into my strength”  
Davos was blown away, not by the things Jon explained but by Jon’s positivity. He was afraid Jon secluded himself from others because the recent incidents took a heavy toll on him psychologically. But seeing that he thought this far ahead shows at least he is on the right track.  
“Speaking of which, I have something for you” Davos said, as he came closer to Jon, “Here”  
Jon could notice Davos was giving him something. When he took it in his hands, he could feel it was made of wood. One side was hollow and the other side was bumped up. He traced his fingers over the surface and could easily line the edges to figure out the shape in his mind. It was like a face of a wolf, “What is it?” he asked.  
“It’s a mask that I made. Try it on” Davos said, “It is not much but it will allow you to move freely around people without having the fear of them seeing your eyes”  
Jon took Davos’ suggestion, he slid down the mask from the top of his head until it sat comfortably on his nose and moved his shoulder neck long hair to let the string stick tight to the back of his head. He could sense the mask was a perfect fit in terms of width and lengthwise it was just enough to cover his forehead. The sides extend just until his ears. And best of all, he didn’t feel the world burning around. He realised that the sunlight reflects the light generated by the fire burning in his eyes to cause this particular type of vision. But now with the mask shielding the light completely, his vision is much darker and cooler.  
Jon was happy that Davos took the time and effort to make this for him, in fact no one has ever done something like this for him out of their own consideration without him asking. It gave a nice lingering feeling in his heart, “Thank you Davos, this is wonderful. You are very skilled at this. I hope you can teach me sometime” Jon was genuinely happy. “How do I look?”  
He was happy that Jon liked his gift. It reminded him of the time he made the stag for Princess Shireen. He missed her but he was happy to help Jon get through this. It was purely by chance he was at Castle Black when everything went down but it gave him a purpose after Stannis was gone. With the princess no longer alive, he felt it left a void but with Jon, it almost like he has his purpose restored and he has something to live for. If Jon can overcome this setback, he was sure Jon will reach new heights in his life and Davos was ready to follow him all the way.  
“Like a burning wolf” Davos complimented.

Sansa

The breathing felt heavy. Sansa shifted from side to side on her not so comfy bed trying to ease the pain in her chest. After her tragic night with Ramsey Bolton yesterday, Sansa couldn’t find peace in her sleep. Every time she closes her eyes, the memory of being ravaged by that monster springs her back to her senses. It is not her fault; it was her mind’s Natural defensive mechanism to offset these unpleasant experiences.  
Looking back at the recent phase of her life, it was certainly an eye opener for her in terms of coming to sense with her personality. For the first time in her life, she truly felt she was unhappy with the way her life panned out. She began to value the moments that her family brought to her when she spent most of her time ignoring them solely due to a false Persona she had for herself. The high pedestal she placed herself crumbled after a series of bad decisions that ended up ruining one of the valued nights for a girl. She was as innocent as any other when it came to love and the night she had in her mind was far from what she experienced yesterday and she had no one to blame but herself.  
She wished she could go back to those times when she was a little girl looking at her siblings having fun only this time, she would jump in and enjoy those moments. She would love to watch Bran climb the walls of the castle while keeping a secret from her mother, She would cheer for her brother Robb whenever he was training with Ser Rodrick, She would sit with the young Rickon to play those innocent but stupid games that kids enjoy, Most importantly, she would make peace with Arya and allow herself to appreciate and indulge in Arya’s way of life instead of all the bickering and tell her that she truly loved having a younger sister, and lastly thinking of Jon, she would apologise to him for treating him in the way that she had done and welcome him to be a part of her family. All these things that she threw away due to her false persona that fell victim to Joffrey.  
And now here she was, keeping constant guard for sounds of any footsteps approaching and anxiously looking for ways to fend off the Monster if he ever wishes to continue from where he left yesterday. She felt weak and sorry for herself desperately looking for anything in her life that she could hold on to.  
With that, she had made the decision, the only way she believed would give her freedom. She took blade from her dresser and maneuverer her way through the dark alleys of Winterfell. She had no use for a candle or any form of light as she knew the castle layout inside out. A few turns along the and walking down a fleet of stairs led her to a small opening underneath the castle. The little cave led her directly through to the crypts where the dead were laid.  
After a brief visit to each of the statues present in there and finally standing in front of the statue of her father, she placed the blade across her wrists. She could feel the cold steel make contact with her skin. Her mind was blank except for the words “I am sorry” as she finds taking her time mustering every bit of her courage to force a slice.  
Closing her eyes, she felt tears escape through the gaps trailing down her cheeks. When she thought she finally found the courage to do it, she heard her father’s voice, “Sansa”  
“Stop… please stop” she told herself out loud. “Please don’t make me change my decision, I can’t.. I just can’t” she was really crying. “Its too much”  
“Sansa…Look at me” the voice spoke to her again.  
When Sansa opened her eyes, she was surprised to find an Icy spirit of her father right in front of her “Father??” her sobs broke out. She reached out to touch him but her hand passed right through him.  
“Sansa…” this time it was a woman’s voice coming from behind. A voice that she could recognize even in her sleep. She turned to see it was her mother. In the same Icy spirit as her father and next to her was her brother.  
“Is this real?” she could hardly stay clear as her breathing became more and more erratic.  
“Sansa, breath… Take a deep breath and calm yourself” her brother spoke.  
She tried but it was of no help as she felt dizzy. She saw surrounding spin as she fell to the ground unconscious.  
In an hour or so, much to the relief of the onlookers, Sansa was conscious again slowly opening her eyes to meet the eager and worried stares of four pairs of eyes. “It wasn’t a dream, you are really here in front of me… How?” she asked looking at her father.  
“In our family, we called it the spirit of the wolf. It is a rare blood trait of the Stark family only one in centuries can awaken this ability to call upon the spirits of the dead” Ned explained.  
“So you all are still dead?” Sansa asked, sounding a little disappointed.  
“Yes, we are but At least, we are here now, thanks to you” Her father replied.  
Sansa could not believe her eyes. The people who were circled her as she sat on the ground recovering from the dizziness, we none other than Her father Eddard Stark, Her mother Catelyn Stark, her brother Robb Stark and the last woman she didn’t recognize. As she pondered her thoughts thinking who might she be, the voice of her mother brought her out.  
“Sansa… What were you going to do with that blade?” her mother asked in her ever so sweet voice.  
Sansa didn’t answer but they all understood. They could see she was crying again. Robb was the first one to ask, “What drove you to take that decision? What are you doing here in Winterfell?”  
“After you died…” she slowly began to speak, “Boltons took over Winterfell and Roose Bolton became the Warden of the north. When Cersei forced me to marry Tyrion Lannister, Littlefinger helped me escape from kings landing so I trusted him. But I didn’t realize it was only to sell me to the Boltons in exchange for power”  
Catelyn cursed that cunning bastard for using her daughter like a scrap of gold to be traded.  
“Yesterday I was forced to marry Roose Bolton’s son Ramsey and.. and…” Sansa couldn’t find it in her to complete the sentence. She didn’t want to cry but couldn’t find the strength to control her tears.  
Catelyn and Ned exchanged looks and both of them could sense the deep guilt and hurt listening to their daughter. As the first-born girl, they pampered her a lot ever since she was a child. They only wanted the best for her and would do anything to give her a happy and secure life. It’s what any parent would want for their child. But listening to this breaks their heart.  
“I don’t want to go through something like that again, so before he comes looking for me, I’d rather take my own life” Sansa stated firmly. “But before that, Father… and Robb…” she looked at them to make sure she had their attention, “I am sorry, I am truly sorry… I have been a complete idiot.. Because of me you died”  
Ned could tell she was at a really low point and she was dangerously getting close to a complete meltdown, “Sansa, it is not your fault. The thought never crossed my mind. What’s important right now is you are alive and you need to live on”  
“How? I am all alone” just as she spoke, Sansa heard footsteps approaching “Oh no… he’s here” she started to panic again.  
They were all nervous but at the same time felt helpless. There was nothing they could do other than give her courage to face it on her own.  
“Sansa, just follow my instructions… Take that blade and go hide against the wall. Don’t make any noise and wait for him to cross you to make your move” Robb stated.  
She followed his instructions step by step and was hiding and waiting for the person to approach. It was dark in the crypts but she could tell that whoever it was, he was carrying a lamp as she could see the light slowly move closer towards her like a snake swallowing it’s prey.  
Ned and the others were anxiously waiting as well and when he was finally here, Sansa pounced on him from behind, “Theon?” she asked recognizing him immediately.  
Robb felt the rage building inside him but was just watching on.  
“Sansa… What are you doing here? I was looking for you in your chambers” Theon began to explain.  
As panicked as Sansa was right now, one thing she was sure is she is never going back there at any cost, “If you think I am going back there, then forget it. If you are here to take me to him then you’ll have to kill me”  
Theon came forward, “What are you talking about? I would never hurt you. I am here to help you escape from this place”  
Robb could tell something was wrong with Theon. The way he speaks and walks seemed odd. He wasn’t sure what happened to turn him to such a meek dismal person he is now.  
Sansa was confused, she was not sure if she could trust him after what he did the last time she went to him for help. She looked at his father and her mother to get their opinion. At this point she could tell Theon cannot see them, only she can.  
“Sansa, you need to live on and right now, you have no choice to trust him” Ned told her.  
“Come with me, Quick.. This is the only time the guards are a bit relaxed” Theon lets Sansa follow him as they made their way to the one side of the wall that was facing towards the North, “We need to jump”  
The onlookers who were able to move around my floating in the air followed them closely. They look for any potential of running into any of the guards and avoid them. When they came to know about Theon’s idea of jumping it had them worried especially Catelyn.  
“It is not the worst idea” Ned spoke to Sansa, “Its past midnight and the heaps of snow piled up below, your landing should be safe”  
Looking at this height Sansa felt she could be dizzy, “I don’t know, this looks scary”  
“I promise it will be fine, trust me. The more time we lose, the more time Ramsey gets to hunt us down. We need to put some safety distance between us and the castle, giving us enough head start to outrun their dogs and horses”  
It seemed to Robb that Theon was talking out of experience given the detail of his explanations. And from what he had been observing till now, Theon is also a prisoner here and when he had tried to escape, he must have miscalculated the timing and most likely got caught.  
“Actually if this doesn’t go as expected and I die, that works too” Sansa spoke out loud. She looked at Theon once and mustered the courage to jump.  
The trail to their safety was no cakewalk. They had to cross a freezing river in this early hours of sunrise when the waters were icy cold. For Robb, it was all about timing their escape but despite their early head start, Robb felt they were too slow. It was a long road ahead to safety and the Bolton search party was closing in. It was understandable for Sansa since she has no muscle in her body that has seen any hard-physical labour and it was to be expected for her to be dragging behind, but it was almost as if it was Theon who was lagging behind. Even when they were young, Theon were definitely much faster that his current speed. He could sense Theon must have taken some serious damage for him to be so passive submissive.  
It was only a matter of time before the Search party closed the gap between them and they were already so close, restricting Sansa’s movements forcing them to take refuge behind a small ledge. Robb was ahead keeping an Eye out while Catelyn and the others were next to Sansa.  
Ned could sense Sansa was already out of breath. “They are here” He heard his son give the warning. That’s when he heard Theon suggest, “Sansa listen to me, I’ll be the decoy, I’ll hold them off to buy time for you. You need to go North, only north. Jon is the Lord Commander of Nights Watch. Go to him, he’ll keep you safe”  
This was news to all the dead spirits but it was also a lifeline. For Ned and Robb, the information came through not as a surprise but something they expected of him. It seemed like he had finally found his place in this world. He must have done really well to reach this position at his age. They couldn’t be prouder.  
Ned looked at the other woman’s spirit who has been quiet all this while. She has just been a silent observer till now as there was never a chance for her to jump in. He wouldn’t be surprised of both Robb or Sansa could not recognize her. After all, she was the main reason for the whole Robert’s rebellion to go down in the history books in the way it did.  
Ned was wondering what her reaction would be when Theon mentioned Jon but it appears that she didn’t recognize it was her son. It must be the fact she named her son differently so it does make sense.  
“Theon, I’ll never make it” Sansa was sceptical of this plan.  
And Catelyn was worried, Castle Black was still a long way ahead and without Theon, she will have trouble getting there by herself.  
Theon held her hand tight, “You can and you will. This is the only way”  
“But what about you? If you get captured again..” Sansa’s trailed off.  
They all could tell how determined Theon was and he was ready to face the consequences. Just when he was above to reveal himself, Sansa heard Robb tell her to hold on. She was quick to relay that to Theon.  
“Theon wait!!”  
“Sansa, we are losing time.. What are you…” Theon was confused but then he heard screaming and sounds of Sword plunging into someone.  
Both of them peaked to take a look and they could see all the Bolton soldiers dead on the ground and they saw a huge woman, as tall as any man Sansa has seen. It seemed like the woman killed them but Sansa wasn’t sure who she was and if she could trust her. She slowly made her way out, revealing herself. The Big woman also noticed her. “Who are you?” asked Sansa.  
The woman came closer and was kneeling in front of Sansa. Theon was clueless as to what was happening so does the other onlookers except for Catelyn.  
“My Lady, My name is Brienne of Tarth, I had sworn to your Mother to keep you safe. Please allow me to be in your service”  
Sansa made a puzzled eye contact with her mother who assured her it was the truth, “Please rise. Thank you for saving us” She saw another person behind the woman lead two of the Bolton’s horses.  
Brienne rose to her feet, “It’s still not ideal to be here, let’s find a safe place and we can talk”  
They moved farther away to a safe location to set-up a camp to allow Sansa to rest. She’s been running non-stop pushing her body way beyond it’s limit. Theon and Brienne’s squire were gathering Firewood as Sansa was listening to Brienne as she explained the circumstances in which she came into Catelyn Stark’s service including the oath she made to keep her daughters safe. But what she mentioned afterwards was huge.  
“I did find your sister Arya”  
Sansa and even the onlookers were surprised to hear that, “Where? Where is she?”  
“She was held by The Hound, who wanted to give her to your Aunt Lysa in exchange for a reward” Brienne explained, “Although I make it sound like she is a prisoner, I do not think he hurt her”  
Ned felt a huge relief, He clearly remembered he saw Arya on the baylor’s statue when he was sentenced to death by Joffrey. With everything going on with Sansa, he couldn’t think about his other children. He was already disappointed with the fact that Robb and his wife had died. He felt responsible for the wrong decisions he made that broke his family apart. And hearing Arya’s well being only made him happy.  
Catelyn loved both her girls and Arya was always wild and adventurous that always made her worry. It was almost as if the gods had answered her prayers to find out that she was alive.  
Sansa on her part felt a heavy burden in her mind was finally cleared. As she desperately wished for a second chance to patch her relationship with her sister, she was looking forward to meeting her. “But if you had seen her, why isn’t she with you?”  
Brienne sighs, “I tried my best to convince her but she wouldn’t listen to me. And The Hound was persistent to not let her go. When I was in my battle, she slipped away and disappeared. I spent days looking for her but she was already long gone”  
“How did she look?”  
“Good, She looked good. Wasn’t exactly dressed like a Lady” Brienne commented.  
This made Sansa smile, “Of course not” Sansa hoped her parents and her brother were listening. It was hard for her to get used to the fact that it was only her who can see and talk to them so when she makes eye contact in presence of others, it makes her look like an idiot like she was talking to Air.  
“What now, My Lady?  
“My brother is in the Night’s Watch. He’s the Lord commander. Once we get there we’ll be out of harm’s way” Sansa explained.  
Brienne couldn’t quite understand who she was referring to, “Who is this brother?”  
“Ah it’s Jon.. Jon Snow” Sansa said.  
“Snow?”  
Her squire Podrick jumped in, “Northerners name their Bastards as Snow” he explained, He saw Sansa looking at him, “No offense”  
Sansa could only smile. She knows her father was right next to her listening to this and not to mention her mother was here as well and it has always been a sensitive subject in her family. She felt way too awkward and was desperate for a way out or change the subject. That’s when she saw Theon packing things on a horse. “Excuse me” she told Brienne and went to Theon.  
Even the dead spirits Robb and Catelyn were awkward about the conversation as they followed Sansa.  
Ned was a different story but the real person of interest was his sister Lyanna, “Ned, I know you. You would never do that to Cat. Is he…?’ Lyanna whispered to her brother.  
“We’ll talk in detail later but….” Ned began to explain. If Lyanna had a heart, could feel her it beat faster than ever, “Yes he is” Ned said.  
Lyanna was over the moon. Nothing else mattered for her, her son was so close to her and she was about to meet him. For the first time, she was glad she was brought back as this spirit and she couldn’t thank Ned’s daughter enough. She vowed to herself that she will repay her one day for this wonderful gift. For now she followed behind to join Sansa.  
“Theon, what are you doing?”  
“Sansa, this is where we part ways”  
“What? You are not coming with me?” Sansa couldn’t believe. After coming so far, she didn’t know why he wanted to leave.  
“Jon will kill me the moment I step into castle black”  
“Wait, I wont let him.. I’ll tell him the truth about Bran and Rickon”  
“And the truth about my Betrayal to Robb, taking Winterfell, killing Ser Rodrick…” Theon could only look at the ground.  
Robb and Ned could tell Theon had truly acknowledged his past mistakes. Robb sure couldn’t forgive him just yet but he knows for sure Jon would kill him.  
But Sansa had no intentions of letting him go, “You can take the black. They say your sins are forgiven”  
“Not these Sins… Sansa, I need to figure this out by myself” 

Castle Black

“Open the gates!!!”  
Sansa and Brienne reached Castle Black before nightfall. As they made their way through, it was not how Sansa pictured it to be. There were several groups of people scattered everywhere and all their eyes were on her.  
“Sansa wait” She heard her father. She conveyed the same to Brienne.  
“These people look like they are wildlings. Not the men of the Nights watch”  
“Has the castle fallen? Have the wildlings invaded?” Robb asked, “Maybe something happened to Jon”  
This had the others worried, especially Lyanna. She was looking forward to meeting her son and if he was dead, it would definitely break her spirits.  
“Robb, the Castle has never been breached in 1000 years. There has to be another explanation. We just need to find Jon”  
Listening to their conversations did not help Sansa at all. “My Lady, are you sure your brother is here?” she heard Brienne ask her.  
Honestly she had no idea, Just then she saw a man dressed in Black approached her. There was also an old man behind him.  
“I am the lord commander. Who are you? What business do you have with the Night’s watch?”  
Sansa was confused. It is true she hasn’t seen her brother in a while but she was sure this person was not him. She traded looks with her father who was just as clueless as her.  
“My name is Sansa Stark” Finally it hit them.  
“You are Jon’s Sister” Edd wanted to confirm.  
“yes, is my Brother here? I was told he was the Lord Commander” Sansa asked. “Has something happened to him?”  
“He was… But you see” Edd was about to explain when Davos stopped him short.  
“Jon is fine… How about you come inside? We can talk” Davos asked her.  
“He is clearly hiding something.. they both are” Robb could tell very easily.  
“I want to see my brother first”  
Davos sighs in defeat, “He’s on top of the wall. If you really want to see him, the elevator is this way” 

Jon

Jon was painfully tired from all the high altitude training he has been doing ever since his return. He heard the elevator again and he could tell someone is coming. To test his new found abilities, he tried to scope out who it was. First he heard nothing but the sound of the rope squeaking against the pully. Next he tried with scent but he has never sensed someone so sweet who belonged to the nights watch. Not knowing who it was, he was quick to wear his mask that Davos gave him and also put on his clothes and his cape. He wanted to paint the picture of a normal man who is still affected by the cold.  
He could sense the footsteps inching closer and it stopped just a few feet away. He could tell the person had seen him but he still wasn’t sure who it was. He waited for the person to identify herself before turning to face them and then, “Jon” he heard an angelic voice that he could never not recognize.  
Jon immediately turned to face her. He was sure it was her but was he wrong? These abilities are still new maybe he hasn’t quite mastered yet. When he went closer, out of nowhere, the girl leapt and hugged him and now he was definitely sure. For the first time he regretted not to be able to see her.  
“Sansa… What are you doing here? Are you alright?” He heard Sansa was crying. “I am so glad to see you”  
Although Robb and Ned were certainly happy to see Jon was alright and this little reunion, for Lyanna it was much more than that. It was the first time she is seeing her son ever since she had died. The last time she held him, he was still a baby and now standing before her, her baby had grown to be a wonderful and strong man. Although, the only concern was that she couldn’t see his face fully as he was wearing some kind of a mask.  
Catelyn saw Jon immediately removed his own cape and wrapped it around Sansa to protect her daughter from the cold winds on top of this wall. That alone mocks the years of her detest towards the boy and she could not be more ashamed as to how she was able to treat such a kind hearted boy in the way that she did.  
“I was told you were the Lord commander but when we came here, they said we could find you here… Did something happen? And why are you wearing that mask?” Sansa asked him.  
Jon just sighed, “Its nothing.. It’s a long story one I rather not tell but it doesn’t matter anymore. Its not important. Come, let’s go down and get you warmed up” Jon was quick to change the subject. Jon wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about what happened to him and his sister certainly was not the best person to start with.  
On their long way down the elevator, Jon had Sansa explain her story from King’s Landing to the Vale to Boltons. She told him how Theon was the one who helped her escape and he didn’t really kill Bran and Rickon.  
“I knew Bran was alive” Jon said. “He went north of the wall”  
“What? Why?” Sansa asked him.  
“I don’t know, one of my friends from the Night’s watch let him pass through the gate”  
“Jon!! He’s a cripple, isn’t it dangerous?”  
“I wasn’t around when it happened. I only found out much later. If I had known, I would have stopped. But I was told he wasn’t travelling alone. Hodor was carrying him and he was with Meera Reed, Daughter of Howland Reed”  
Ned was surprised to hear that name.  
“I am told they helped him escape from Theon when he took Winterfell”  
They reached downstairs and suddenly Sansa witnessed there were even more people and lot more eyes watching her. Or it was more like they were watching Jon. Something definitely happened and Jon was very good at hiding it.  
Jon led Sansa into his own chambers, “Come on in”  
Sansa complied but immediately noticed Jon’s Direwolf over at the corner. It also noticed her but the size of that wolf was just incredible. She had no idea direwolfs grow so much. It made her wonder if lady was alive would she have been this tall as well. But she didn’t want to think too much about it right now as it only brings rough memories that she wants to forget.  
“I’ll leave you to freshen up, I’ll send someone to get you a new set of clothes” Jon said. When he was set to leave, he saw a shadow of a huge person blocking the entrance.  
“Jon, this is Brienne of Tarth, She is a knight” Sansa introduced.  
“Ah yes, you had mentioned her a while back” Jon turned to Brienne, “Thank you for bringing her here safely, Please make yourself at home”  
“You are kind my lord but such gratitude is not necessary. I swore an oath to Catelyn Stark to keep her daughters safe which I intend to do until my last breath” Brienne explained.  
“I am not a lord, you can call me Jon. As long as she is here, you wouldn’t have to worry about her safety. I can tell you’ve had a long journey. Please feel free to ease up” Jon assured her with a smile and left the chambers leaving Brienne with Sansa.  
“I didn’t know what I expected from of your brother but that certainly wasn’t it” Brienne told Sansa.  
“What do you mean?”  
“For a man of his position and reputation, he seems kind of short and humble”  
Sansa heard a knock on the door and saw it was the old man she saw earlier. When he approached her, Brienne immediately stood before her, “What business do you have with lady Sansa?”  
Davos was taken a back with this strange development and he couldn’t help but notice this women has been hostile, glaring daggers at him ever since she been here, “My Lady, My name is Davos Se-“ he was cut short by the knight.  
“I know who you are, you served Stannis Baratheon”  
“I don’t recall we have ever met”  
“I was Kings guard to Renly Baratheon and I saw what killed him. But I suppose who you know what it was” Brienne had no intentions of holding back.  
“That’s in the past, My Lady”  
“Maybe, but doesn’t mean I’ll forget”  
Sansa could not see this end in a good way at all, “Brienne, it’s alright”  
“I’ll be outside” the knight stormed off.  
I apologize for that, here, your brother asked me to give you these new sets of clothes, It belonged to Stannis Baratheon’s wife. She left it here during her stay”  
Davos left the clothes on Jon’s bed on which Sansa was seated and was about to leave.  
“Ser Davos, I was told Jon was the Lord Commander and I can tell something has happened, Please tell me. Whatever it is, I want to help him”  
“I apologize again My lady, it should be Jon who should decide if he wants to tell you or not”  
Sansa was mad at this point. She stood up facing Davos, “In his whole life, Jon has never relied on anyone for anything and if it’s something important and secretive like this, he’ll never tell me. But I want to change that, I want to be the kind of family that helps him and not ignore it just because he asks me not to worry about it”  
Davos could see the strength in her eyes. Perhaps.. he thought… Perhaps she might really be able to help him, “The previous Lord commander gave Jon an difficult secretive mission, which was to infiltrate the Wildlings and learn secrets of their attack, which Jon did. But Jon also realized that after being with them, the wildlings were no different from the people of Westeros and they deserve to life their life just as we do. When he was away as a spy, there was a mutiny where they killed the Lord Commander”  
“When he came back, he successfully led the command to Defend the wall from Mance Rayder’s army and he became a hero and everyone respected him. Soon when there was an election do decide the next Lord Commander, Jon opposed Alliser Thorne, another leading contender for the title and won. He became the youngest lord commander in Night’s watch’s history”  
“During his time spent went the wildlings, Jon also faced the White Walkers on battle and was aware of the Army they were building comprising of the dead people. He tells me the army of the dead is ever expanding and they are marching towards the wall. As the Lord Commander, he led the peace talks between Night’s watch and the Wildling elders, he promised them to give a new life south of the wall if they stop the fighting and agree to fight for him when the real battle comes”  
“Many agreed with Jon but those who didn’t agree with him sided with thorne. One night, they told him they received some information about his uncle Benjen from one of the wilder camps. When Jon went there, all he saw was a tombstone what read, ‘traitor’s son is a traitor’. When he turned to face them, they stabbed him one by one and left him to bleed on the snow”  
Sansa could not believe what she was hearing, “How did he survive that?”  
Davos sighed, “He didn’t. Jon Died that night. I don’t know if you have heard of her but the Red Priestess brought him back to life. But when he came back, Jon had lost his vision. If you look through his eyes, you could see fire burning inside of him. That is why he wears a mask so that people don’t find out he is blind”  
Sansa looked around to see her family who were all too shocked to have any type of reaction.  
Davos noticed Sansa’s discomfort, “Ever since he executed his murderers, he gave up his post as the Lord Commander and left the Night’s watch. He secluded himself to the top of the wall and never came down. You said you want to help him, I am saying this to you even if Jon gets angry at me because you are the reason he came down. He’s always been like that. As you know I serving Stannis, during his stay here, Stannis tried everything possible to get Jon to serve him. He even offered to make him a stark and make him the Lord of Winterfell if he pledges his sword but Jon refused him every single time. Jon is special and I really do wish you can help him” he said and left the chambers.  
Even after Davos left, Jon’s story had such an impact on Sansa and her family that no one spoke a word after that. It was understandable, words cannot even define what her brother has gone through. When Catelyn led Sansa into Jon’s personal bath to have her freshened up, the room was left to Ned, Robb and Lyanna. Ned could see Lyanna was devastated when she suddenly fell to the ground crying. When Ned was trying his best to console her, Robb found out Jon was actually her son and was not his father’s. They decided they would tell everyone else when the time comes until then, we don’t mention a word about this.  
When Sansa came out, it occurred to her for the first time since her escape, “Father, who is this person?”  
Ned just chuckled, “You wouldn’t know her but this is my sister Lyanna Stark”  
They heard a knock and it was Jon. He was carrying a tray, “You must be hungry, here I made this special soup. It should keep you warm and get your energy back”  
Sansa was overwhelmed by her brother’s hospitality. It made her think he might actually be good with women, She took a sip of the soup and it was delicious “This is really good, Thank you Jon”  
Jon just have a smile. He sat net to her on his bed with a Mug of ginger Ale.  
“You remember the Kidney Pies Old Nan used to make?” She asked him.  
“With the peas and onions…. I hated that” Jon said laughing.  
“You know Jon, I had a lot of time to think about many things and I realized how I was an complete Ass to you” Sansa confessed.  
Jon wasn’t sure where this came from but he didn’t think anything of it, “We were children”  
“I was awful, admit it” She jokingly threatened him. “Can you forgive me?”  
“There is nothing to forgive”  
“Forgive me or I’ll pour this soup on you” Sansa told me.  
“Alright, Alright.. I forgive you”  
“Jon, I hope you’ll give me another chance to make up to you for everything I have done and haven’t done in the past” Sansa was genuinely asking him.  
Jon ruffled her hair, “Sansa, what every happens I’ll never think less of you or anyone of our family. I would say I was one of the luckier bastards to have such family”  
Sansa was happy. She truly was, “Then you don’t have to wear that mask when you are with me”  
Jon was surprised, “You know?”  
Sansa nodded, “Yeah, Ser Davos told me… In fact I forced him to tell me”  
Jon removed his mask and everyone could see Davos was right. They saw his eyes and it was like it is burning.  
“So where will you go?” Sansa asked.  
“Where will we go… If I don’t look after you, I am sure Father’s ghost will haunt me” Jon said.  
Sansa couldn’t tell if he was just joking but given that her father was right here as a ghost, it was really funny. But It was time to talk some serious issues, “There is only one place we can go.. Home”  
“Should we tell the Boltons to pack up and leave?”  
“We will take it back” Sansa was serious.  
“I don’t have an army”  
“What about the wildlings who pledged to fight for you?” she asked. She was relentless.  
“Sansa… They didn’t come here to serve me. I promised them I’ll give them a new life. I can’t ask them to fight in a battle for me”  
“As long as the Boltons remain warden of the north, we will never be safe. It is our home, Arya’s Bran’s and Rickon’s where ever they are it is our home. We have to fight for it”  
Jon finally snapped, “I am tired of fighting.. It is all I have done ever since I left home. I fought for what I believed was the right thing to do and I lost” he left the room.  
Sansa couldn’t see that happening at all. She looked at her father, “Did I say something wrong?”  
“Don’t worry, he just needs time to think. Seeing right now is just like how you were when we all saw you at the crypts. And if he doesn’t want to fight I think we should respect his decision” Ned explained to his daughter. He of all people understands what it feels like to do the right thing only to get killed for it. He understood why Jon wont ask the wildlings to fight for him, he may not have been his own Son but he truly inherited his will and Ned was proud of Jon for that.  
The whole day, Sansa hadn’t seen her brother at all. And the next day, they were at the dining hall, with Jon. Seated on the long bench was, Sansa, Brienne, Podrick, on one side; the lord commander, Davos, the Wildling Tormund and Jon on the other. As they were eating, a man of the night’s watch came in with a letter for Jon.  
Jon passed the letter to Davos who was sitting next to him to read it, “To the Traitor and Bastard, Jon Snow…” Davos paused, “you sure you want me to read it out loud?”  
“yeah , do it” was Jon’s response. Robb and Ned were already angry at the first sentence and they could see if Lyanna was alive she would rip that letter apart.  
Davos continued, “You allowed thousands of wildlings past the Wall. You have betrayed your own kind and you have betrayed the North. Winterfell is mine, bastard, come and see. Your brother Rickon is in my dungeon….” Davos paused.  
Catelyn couldn’t believe what she just heard. Just when she thought Sansa had escaped from that mad man, now her son was in his dungeons. It really worried her.  
“His direwolf's skin is on my floor, come and see. I want my bride back. Send her to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your wildling lovers. Keep her from me and I will ride North to slaughter every wildling man, woman, and babe living under your protection. You will watch as I skin them living. You will” Davos stopped. He didn’t pause but he just stopped reading. Instead he just whispered something in Jon’s ears.  
“Go on, Ser Davos” Sansa told him sternly.  
“Its not important” Although Jon says that, everyone knew by now it means it was something bad.  
Sansa picked the letter from his hands and continued to read, “You will watch as my soldiers take turns raping your sister. You will watch as my dogs devour your wild little brother. Then I will spoon your eyes from their sockets and let my dogs do the rest. Come and see. Ramsay Bolton, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North"  
The room was silent. But it shocked everyone when Jon turned to Tormund, “How many men do you have?”  
Catelyn was the most surprised, as she spent time close to Jon, seeing him up close, she could tell what a pure heart he had. A man like her own husband who values honour and would be willing to die for it didn’t even hesitate to ask the wildlings for help even though he gave his word.  
The response was not pleasant. The numbers were not favourable at all that sent Jon into a deep thought. All eyes on the table were on him but he was lost in his own thoughts.  
Sansa leapt across the table to hold his hand, “A monster has taken our home and our brother. We need to do something” she says. Sansa was losing her cool.  
But of all the places, the support for Jon came from Catelyn, “Sansa, hold on… It is not an easy decision to make, give him some time, I am sure he is already thinking”  
Ned and Robb were least expecting that but they were happy to see Catelyn let go of her hatred towards Jon.  
Jon was still confused. He had already decided to help his brother and take Winterfell but the only problem was the numbers. The size difference in the army is just too big. But just as he was making his decision, he heard something approach Sansa at an incredible speed. He realized it was an Arrow and caught it with his hands before it was able to hurt his sister, potentially kill her. Jon immediately took a table knife and threw it across the room to the source of the sound. He immediately jumped into action as he followed the Assassin at full speed.  
For the rest of the people in the hall, it all happened in a matter of seconds. Before they realised Sansa was in danger, Jon and saved her and went after the killer at an incredible speed.  
Sansa didn’t even know what hit her. She saw Robb and her father follow Jon outside while she just waited there. Brienne was in her protective mode just in case more people show up.  
Outside, Jon tracked down the Killer at ease. All his altitude Training showed tremendous results as he felt a lot faster and stronger. He easily overpowered the guy who appeared to be the messenger who brought the letter. He was not one of Ramsey’s men as usually Messengers are peace keepers who don’t side with anyone. Jon noticed the messenger a roll of a wooden map of western with all the Noble houses carved into it. He picked a couple of knives and killed the guy without hesitation.  
Robb saw him return to the hall and he has never seen Jon get so angry at anything. Jon rolled the Map on the table and everyone present were confused as to what he was thinking. He surprised them all when he slammed a knife at the area marked as Winterfell in the map.  
“House Bolton will face justice for the Betrayal and Murder of their King. Their entire house will be wiped off from the face Westeros”  
Sansa was smiling, this was the first time she has seen Jon take command and he was a bit scary when he was angry.  
“But it doesn’t stop there. Once we take Winterfell…” Jon slammed another knife at the area marked with Twins, “House Frey will face Justice for aiding and conspiring to kill the King in the North”  
Robb was honoured by Jon’s actions and it gave him the chills. But he wasn’t done.  
“And Finally..” Jon slammed a knife on King’s Landing, “House Lannister will find Justice for their False accusation and unfair execution of Eddard Stark. If it requires for us to take the Iron Throne to bring Justice, then so be it.”


	2. Chapter 02: The bigger Picture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, i would like to apologize for the delay. 
> 
> I started this story as a means to give ourselves something to enjoy, almost a year back when COVID hit us all but i never imagined myself to be in a position that i was a year back. But its all good now as i managed to get my life back on track. I would like to convey my thanks to all the other writers whose stories kept be going during the tough times.
> 
> Its a new year and a new beginning and i would still like to continue my story so hope you all enjoy the ride.

Castle Black

Sansa was visibly restless, pacing around in circles within her chambers. Jon was generous enough to let Sansa use his room which was easily the biggest and most luxurious when compared to other rooms available in castle black. 

“Its been two days… He hasn’t come down…” Sansa said. Her family was with her in the room, but unlike her, they were patiently waiting for Jon. 

“You need to stop doing this” Robb started… “Seeing you this impatient makes me lose my patience as well.” Not that Robb didn’t understand her sister’s position, He was happy when his half-brother declared that he will fight the enemies of their house and bring peace to his family. But ever since then, he returned back to the top of the Wall and hasn’t come down yet for two straight days. 

“Can someone go up and check up on him?” asked Sansa to no one in particular.

“I am certain if he’s there on top by himself, it means he wishes to be alone” Catelyn tried her best to calm her daughter.

Sansa scoffed at her mother’s response. It was funny to see her mother changed so much, it seems like she is always on Jon’s side now. Not that she complained but it wouldn’t hurt to support her from time to time, “You are spirits, its not like he would know you are there, besides for all we know, he could have frozen to death by now” she said. 

Ned had heard enough, “Sansa, we need to respect his privacy. Just because he can’t see us doesn’t mean we can take advantage of that, if your brother wishes to be alone we have to honor it” he explained.

“It didn’t stop Aunt Lyanna from going there. How come you didn’t say anything when she is practically up there all the time?” Sansa couldn’t help but argue with her father’s double standards. In fact, it occurred to her that she very rarely finds her father in this position.

For once, Ned had no answer to that counter. He couldn’t help but smile at his sister’s impatience which was way worse than his daughters. Even Arya could do better. 

He was saved by the knock on the door that was enough to divert Sansa’s attention. She was quick to open it to find Jon’s adviser, “Ser Davos, what brings you hear?” Ned heard her daughter ask him.

“My Lady, your brother has requested a meeting” Davos began, which was already a sign of relief for everyone present in the room, both living and spirits alike, “Please gather everyone necessary and meet us in the Dining hall” 

It was a news like this that Sansa was waiting for the whole time, “Thank you Ser” she told Davos who bowed and left. 

When Sansa turned to face her family, everyone could tell her mood had changed for better, “I will go find Brienne and meet you back at the hall” they heard her say and leave as well. 

When only the spirits of Ned, Robb and Catelyn were alone in the room, Ned noticed Catelyn seemed a bit down despite not showing it, “Cat, what’s wrong? I know something is troubling you” Robb who was about to leave paused when he heard his father speak.

Catelyn shook her head, “Its nothing, I was just thinking about Rickon. I can’t even remember when was the last time I saw him or spoke to him. Bran was a lot older and was always so mature in understanding the situations but Rickon was so young when everything blew up. It must have been so difficult for him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he couldn’t remember me at all” she explained. 

Ned tried to touch her but his hand just passed through, “Cat, all that matters is that he his alive right now and we are going to save him. After that, even if he can’t see us, we might be able to be there for him in a different way. We never know, we just have to help Jon as much as we can” he tried to comfort her.

Catelyn looked up still a bit concerned, “I know, I know… I am fine now, lets go” she reassured her husband. 

On top of the wall, Lyanna was really enjoying her stay there. As a spirit, she was able to observe her Son for the past two days to get to know more about him. The more she watched him, the more she learned about him. Of course, she has heard his story from many people about the leader he has become but for her that was all secondary. For her, she wanted to know her son and who he really was deep down. 

For the past two days, ever since he decided to fight for the Stark family, he has been here training relentlessly. He was doing so much that it made her wonder how anyone can follow such a rigid schedule. She figured only someone with no personality or social life would be able to do something like this. Some of the things he was doing really made her worry for her son’s Physical safety but more so about his mental stability. She wondered if all the pressure was starting to get to him. For instance, in middle of the night, she once saw Jon using a rope to climb the wall. 

Considering the fact that he was blind, it seemed like he was already experienced in doing something like this. After some point, it was all about getting the rhythm. Soon he was climbing so effortlessly that each time, it only increased his pace. Although it confused her as to what was the point of all the risk he is taking but it was satisfying to see the man he has become. He has that distinct vibe the she enjoyed from watching her husband Rhaegar. 

And at dawn, he got up early even after all the climbing one would think a normal person would be so tired but she saw him start putting on his clothes. She was so used to her son wearing just the pants and nothing on top, if he was getting ready it must be that he was finally going back to the castle below. Although one thing she couldn’t shake off was the knife marks all over his body particularly the one close to his heart. It was already worse for her listening to the events that led to it when his adviser Davos was narrating it to Sansa, but seeing the scars up close really broke her heart. She could only imagine the pain he must have been. She was great full to whoever this Lord of Light was for the fact that her son was alive and breathing, Maybe not in his usual way, after all it did come with its price but Jon managed to turn it into his weapon. 

She followed him closely as he made his way down through the elevator to find his trusted adviser waiting for him at the bottom door.

“You know your sister was really anxious and worried for you” Davos started to talk as they were walking towards the castle. 

“I needed some time alone Davos” Jon said. 

“I understand that and it would have been fine when you were all alone where you only had to worry about yourself. But you can’t be that way, now that you have your sister and not to mention the 2000+ wildlings depending on you” Davos tries to explain. 

Observing the whole conversation, Lyanna had the utmost respect for old man who always knew what to say and was providing genuine guidance to her son. As an adviser, Its may seem more than whats required but Davos didnt shy away from saying what needs to be told. She remembered Davos’s conversation with Sansa when she had politely questioned his royalty to Jon when he was Serving Stannis Baratheon not too long ago. At that time, Davos stated that he truly enjoyed serving Jon who unlike Stannis in many ways valued and respected his counsel. And Jon being so young, reminded Davos of his own son and he was more than willing to show his respect and love for the person Jon had become. 

Inside the hall, Robb stood in the corner waiting for Jon. His sister was seated at one of the benches, with her Knight Brienne, while his mother and father weren’t that far away from her. The only other people in the room was the acting Lord Commander and the wildling man with the huge beard. He felt like a creeper with way way he was staring. It seemed to him at first that he was staring at his sister but looking closely, he was watching the astute knight next to her. He couldnt tell if it was a good or a bad thing but it was funny wondering how his brother made acquaintance with such a person. His thoughts broke away when he finally saw his brother make an appearance alongside Davos and his Aunt Lyanna who was of course a spirit only Sansa and other spirits could see. 

“Jon..!! Where were you…” Robb heard Sansa began to explode on Jon but his brother was quick to react and cut her off by hugging her. Real smooth.

Breaking away from Sansa, “I am sorry, I needed sometime alone plus I tend to think better when I am training” he told her.

He could tell it was hard for Sansa to stay mad after that as she felt herself smiling at his actions, “So did you make any progress?” Sansa asked Jon.

“I did, sit let me explain” Jon began to speak, he gestured towards everyone to come closer. “I’ve thought a lot on this and there are two key points to this that we just cannot ignore. First and foremost, I am sure everyone in this hall must be aware of the White walkers and the dead marching towards us. Tormund and Edd who where there with me at Hardhome can tell you how terrifying the Night King is…” 

Sansa was confused why his brother was suddenly talking about this instead of the upcoming battle with the Boltons. “I get that but what does it have…” She was cut short again by Jon who continued to speak.

“Let me finish, Even though its not going to be anytime soon, we cannot ignore that fact that the Night King’s army will be at our door step and in all honesty, that’s the battle we need to be preparing for rather. And in light of that, we simply cannot afford to go on this war with the Boltons right now. We cannot afford to lose fighting men particularly from our side but also from theirs”

Sansa couldn’t hide her distress and was really confused as to what her brother has decided. So it, it seemed like he is going to back out from this war to take Winterfell and more importantly save their brother. She looked at her father who just asked her to remain patient and let him finish.

Ned as a war veteran himself was really starting to see the commander in Jon and appreciated his way of thinking. Its true that his son’s life was at stake but it made sense for Jon to think it through so that they don’t sacrifice thousands of lives just to save his son. As a father, he would be willing to do absolutely anything to save his son but he cant let those feelings sway his thoughts as a commander. Feelings are what wins and loses battles and he has witnessed it through out his life. That is the very reason the Elders stress on the importance of having an adviser or a Hand who looks at the situation objectively. He was amazed that Jon was able to do all this by himself.

Jon was blind but he could tell the people were getting anxious with every word he spoke. The air in the hall was started to feel heavy but he has to do it. There was no way to sugarcoat this he was careful to explain slowly without leaving out any details. “But don't mistake me, I still very much want to save my brother and also taking Winterfell will significantly boost our chances of surviving the Long night thats ahead…” he lays down the wooden map and continues to explain, “… Even though we are at a disadvantage with it comes to the army size, we still have an advantage when it comes to the knowledge about the castle and the terrain it stands on”

As Jon paused for a minute allowing the intake of information, Robb could see where Jon is taking this. Even though Boltons have a superior numbers in Army, we don’t necessarily have to fight them head on. We know more about Winterfell than the boltons who have just been nothing more than a passing guest there and we could use it to our advantage. And if Jon’s thinking the same thing as Robb, then the plan would most likely be…

Jon continues, “Winterfell is known for its absolute defense but thats only the case if you are aware of all the vantage points. The wall Behind the castle will be our entry as it is the least guarded place. Mainly because it sits on a cliff and it would be nearly impossible to attack from that side. But it is not impossible for me to climb over it at night when it is pitch black. Once I am over the wall, our main target will be the barracks and the weapons armory. I will set fire and burn it to the ground leaving them with nothing to defend themselves, When I burn the barracks, it will be the signal to our freefolk army who will be stationed outside to invade.”

Robb knew it, he would have done something similar as well. And it looks like Sansa was starting to piece everything together, “So you want to infiltrate the castle and burn their weapons inventory forcing them to surrender?” 

Jon smiled at the quick uptake from her sister. He was worried how she might take this but seeing her catching up to him gives him some breathing space to keep the conversation going, “Not ‘you’ it will be ‘WE’” Jon stated. 

“What do you mean?” Sansa asked.

“You will be coming with me” as she was about to speak Jon waived his hand “Let me explain, the bulk of Bolton’s army is Robb’s bannermen who had no choice but to server Boltons to save themselves from being killed. It’s not enough if they just surrender, we need them to fight for us and be loyal to us. For that, they should once again see and believe that the Starks are very much in the game” 

“What do you want me to do?” Sansa asked. 

“Tomorrow night, you are going to execute Ramsey in front of his people” Jon declared. 

Sansa was awestruck. She had no idea how to react to that. She once again looked at her family who this time were also had no words for her. 

Lyanna finally figured out why Jon was climbing the like a mad man. She hasn’t spent a lot of time with her son to truly get to know him but she didn’t think he was someone capable of coming up with strategies like this. At first, he seemed like a copy of Ned with how he carried himself but she was starting to see more and more of Rhaegar in him. 

“Today we have another task in had, we will travel across the northern houses asking for them to join our cause. We technically do not need their support for this but this is sort of a test for the northern houses to see if they are still loyal to the Starks. But that’s just secondary. I hope everyone understood the plan, any objections?” Jon asked. Seeing that no one responded, “Let’s begin”

Meereen

Daenerys woke up to find herself drenched in sweat. It’s almost past noon and she was still lying on her comfy bed. She’s not really a morning person but she usually keeps her schedule in check to ensure to time is gone wasted. After all, being a Queen came with its added responsibilities which she finds it taxing but still does her job truthfully. And with the current crisis at Meereen surrounding the revolt by the Sons of the Harpy, every decision & every command is taken only after her approval so she always finds herself occupied.

It all changed ever since Tyrion Lannister joined her crusade, almost all of the City’s operations were dealt by himself seldom for some queries where her insight or approval was absolutely necessary. Every other issue never came past him and honestly it only made her lazy. Here she was on this hot day, lazying in her chambers. 

She heard her friend and aide Missandei knock and enter the room, “Your grace, are you not well?” was her first question. 

Daenerys assured her there was nothing wrong with her, “Lord Tyrion has asked for some time with you, it seemed important” came the follow up. Daenerys wondered what it could be since Tyrion only needs her when something is really wrong. 

“Alright, let me get ready and will meet outside” Daenerys told her. She watched Missandei immediately fix her bed and get the clothes Daenerys was going to wear for the day. Sometimes Daenerys wondered if she could read her mind because she always act just the way Daenerys wants even without her asking for it. “Missandei, once I am back, lets have lunch together” She often felt she was not expressive enough to show gratitude for all the work Missandei does in this castle. 

It didn’t take too long for her to get ready. He dress was rich but simplistic and she doesn’t spend too much time in making herself look pretty. It all comes naturally for her and she is used to it as well. 

She saw her adviser waiting for her at the entrance of the great pyramid castle patiently waiting for. She made her presence known as she got closer, “I apologies if I have kept you waiting.. Are we going outside?” she asked him.

Tyrion just waved off her apology, “yes, we are going to the harbor. One of our men got reports of a strange ship that arrived at our shore and I thought it would be best if you see this for yourself” He told her as he began to walk. It wasn’t that far from the castle but considering the heat, he was skeptical of calling her out but this was something that cannot be ignored.

Daenerys wondered what it could be but chose to follow him anyway. When they reached the harbour, she saw the unsullied had already set-up a perimeter to not allow any civilians through. And straight ahead stood a very strange ship. 

“As you can see, this ship arrived at our harbour carrying these people who appear to be slaves” Tyrion said. 

“How did they get here?” Asked daenerys.

Tyrion sighed, “That’s where it gets tricky” he turned around and called one of the slaves, “This is our Queen, tell her what you told me a while ago” 

A woman carrying a child in her arms does appear to be a slave who was most likely taken from her home against her will. And from her appearance, she could tell it most likely was not a pleasant experience, “All the slaves were about to be transported when this strange person entered the ship, he had this white beast with him, he forced the owner to follow another ship that led us here. Once we arrived, he killed the owner and set us free” 

Daenerys shared a conflicted look towards Tyrion and realized what seems to be the issue here, “Thank you, you do not have to fear, in this land no slavery will be tolerated, my people will do everything they can to help you all get back to your lives” she told the woman who just bowed and thanked her. 

As they walked back Tyrion discussed more on what should be done, “So what do you think of her story?” 

Daenerys just smiled, “I was lost on the beast part, but it didn’t seem like she was lying. It is better to keep an eye on them for a few days” she said to which Tyrion gestured he will take care of it. “And with regards to this mysterious person, if he is indeed real and has entered our city, we should make it a priority to find him” 

“And your grace, do you have your afternoon free? Varys has returned from his visit to Braavos, he would like to brief us” Tyrion asked. 

“I am to have lunch with Missandei at noon, have him meet me during that time. Would you like to join us? She asked.

“And ruin the moment?” Tyrion just smiled. “I hope you have a good time, perhaps we can have Varys meet later, surely it can wait” 

“No this is important, and I want to hear it” With that, Daenerys disappeared into the castle allowing Tyrion to go find Varys. 

Daenerys made her way to the council room to get back on the pending issues that required her attention. She had an uneasy feeling that she couldn’t shake off every since she heard the story about this stranger from the slave woman. Her worst thoughts became a reality when she spotted the person matching the description seated in her chair. Next to him was this huge white beast, maybe because this person was so short that made the beast look unusually big. It was something she had never seen in her life and it made her heart skip a beat looking into it’s pale eyes. He held a sharp pointy looking sword, almost in the shape of a needle, at her hinting her to remain silent. “Who are you? What do you want?” she managed to ask. He was wearing a mask of an assassin to cover his face. 

The stranger came up close, “I wish to know the same, about the person who stole my family’s fortunes” came the reply.

Daenerys was confused, “I don’t understand” somehow the voice of the stranger seemed soft and feminine. Just then, they heard a voice call out for her from the other side of the door, “Your grace, may I come in?” Daenerys realized it was Missandei. It was time for their lunch. 

The stranger held the sword to her throat, “Do not Open the door, just ask her to bring Varys” was the command and she complied. Although she was confused as to what this person wanted. “Missandei, Can you get Varys here immediately? This is urgent” Daenerys called out. She heard Missandei acknowledge and that she will be back. 

“Do you know what you are doing? Do you know who I am? You are making a huge mistake, Its not too late, we can settle this peacefully” Daenerys tried her best to negotiate. 

The stranger didn’t respond but she heard a knock on the door again. She was waiting for the stranger’s command. She watched him go lean towards the wall, “Let them in and close it. Do not make any sound” 

Daenerys opened the door to see not only Varys but even Tyrion and Missandei here. She wished she could somehow not let Missandei get involved but it was best to comply with the stranger and not give anything away. When all three entered the counsel room, the stranger immediately locked the door behind startling all three of them and held the sword at Varys. It appears that Varys was the target from the beginning. 

Tyrion was surprised at what happened, to think the queen was a hostage in her own castle was ridiculous and now she had Varys at sword point. 

“Your grace!!” he heard Missandei call out pointing towards the beast. When Tyrion saw this, he realized this was the intruder who freed the slaves from the ship. The beast did look familiar to him but he couldn’t recall from where. 

“After betraying my father, are you here to betray someone else?” spoke the stranger. 

“I apologies but I dont know you or this father you speak of” a confused Varys replied. 

The stranger took off the mask, “How about now” 

Daenerys was shocked to see the stranger in fact appears to be a young girl. She was pretty and her skin was so white that she didn’t seem like she belonged in this part of the world, “Arya Stark…!!!” she heard Tyrion say. This girl? This little Girl was a stark? What was she doing here in Meereen? Daenerys wanted answers.

“I never thought I was hoping to meet some Lannister when I followed him from Braavos but I never expected it to be you” Arya said towards Tyrion. 

Tyrion was speechless, he never thought he would see a stark in Meereen. He never even thought any Starks were alive to begin with, “I thought all Starks were dead, What do you want?” he asked.

Arya never took her eyes off from Varys, “His life of course, he plotted with Littlefinger and Cersei to have my father killed” 

Tyrion figured it would be something like this, “that’s in the past now, Varys no longer serves the Lannisters” 

“Maybe for you… But I still haven’t forgotten the day they took my father’s head, I can’t sleep until at night without those memories keep flashing. I will kill everyone responsible for the betrayal of my family including Cersei”

Daenerys could feel a familiar pain from this girl, the pain of someone who has lost everything dear to them and the only medicine to this pain was Vengeance. She herself has been there and that was the path she had chosen for herself. She found herself relating to this girl in more ways than she expected. 

“It wasn’t my choice, there was nothing we could do against the Queen who had all the power. Your father was too Honorable to survive in the capital” Varys tries to ease things but it didn’t seem to work.

“Then why did you steal all my family’s wealth? Was that also Cersei’s command?” Arya doesn’t back off. “I was on my way to King’s landing to kill Cersei, That’s when I saw you at Braavos. I was tailing you ever since, I know what you were doing in the Iron bank” 

Suddenly Daenerys was hit with a Guilt, she reached for the contract Varys had given her earlier, “Is this true? You told me this money belonged to the Lannisters” Daenerys was angry. 

Varys was struggling for answers, “Your grace, After Ned Stark’s death, the Queen had claimed all of his fortunes” 

Daenerys felt disgusted, she approached the Stark girl, “Here, I will return this to you, if I had known, I would have never taken it” Daenerys was apologetic. She truly felt bad for the girl.

“I don’t care for the wealth now that my family is dead, I have no use for it. All I care is to bring Justice to my father’s death and take Cersei’s head” Arya said. 

“Your sister is alive, at least she was the last time I saw her” Tyrion corrected her, “I understand your hatred, if I was in your place I would do the same but I ask you to let go of him, we no longer serve the Lannisters, we serve Daenerys Targaryen, and we need Varys if we are to take the iron throne” 

“Perhaps we can help each other” Daenerys says, “help me take the Iron throne and in return, I will help you find justice for the crimes committed against your family”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been writing the chapters here and there so please look forward to the updates faster than the usual :D
> 
> Some clarifications from the story:
> 
> * There is a Mix in timeline as it does not solely follow the chronology of the series  
> * And yes, the Beast is in fact Nymeria and the wolf has been travelling with Arya every since she left King's landing  
> * By this time, Arya has already completed her training to become the faceless assassin
> 
> Feel free to share any feedback, it would be much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 03: Siblings - Blood related or not

Sansa noticed the sky was getting darker and darker as she traveled to Winterfell with Jon as per the plan. The first time she heard it, she wasn’t sure how she felt about Jon approach to win this war without any bloodshed. She’s no leader or commander but from what she has seen and read about many battles in the past, it is reasonable to think that your average leader would look to focus all his resources on their immediate goal and ensure victory. But Jon’s unorthodox strategy really caught her off guard. For him to care so much about this so called long night, she could only wonder how terrifying the Army of the dead actually is. 

And to make matters worse, they had wasted an entire day looking to rally up other northern houses to aid them in taking Winterfell back from the Boltons. She turned back to see the spirits of his family, especially her father and brother, look so dejected and brooding. She couldn’t blame them after the kind of treatment we received from other Northern Lords. 

But Jon didn’t seem to be bothered about it, in fact the way he reacted, it seemed like he had already anticipated the outcome would be something like this. Maybe because their support didn’t really matter since Jon’s strategy revolved around having a limited army size. Apart from her brother, there were only two other people, both of them were wildlings, traveling with them to reach the backside of the castle. They were on a horse with one of the wildling leading the way with the torch She never expected them to take the really long circular route when they could have just pushed straight. It was likely to avoid getting spotted by Bolton’s spies, she understood that much. The rest of the sizable army were positioned upfront away from sight waiting for Jon’s signal. 

Both Ned and Robb were trailing behind from the group clearly affected by what they witnessed today. Jon and Sansa made rounds to each of the Northern houses who were not already allied with the boltons in hopes of having them join their cause. In the end, only a few houses could provide support that’s most likely wasn’t enough or they refused to commit entirely. 

For Robb, it really hurt him to see the consequences of his failure as their king. Many of the northern houses had refused to support Jon on the account of his own downfall their led to the death of many of their family members who followed him south and named him their king. Because of his failures, Jon is having a hard time to find time finding allies. Thinking about it, Robb couldn’t really get to the bottom of the real reason why he failed and couldn’t honestly tell how he could have done things differently. Until the incident with the Freys or the Red Wedding as he came to know it was infamously called he felt to be in a winning position but his entire legacy crumbled in a matter of seconds. 

For Ned, it was much deeper than that. He truly felt responsible for the current situation since after all, every thing began when he was arrested by the Lannisters. No matter the circumstances, honorable or not, he couldn’t help but feel outplayed by his enemies in King’s Landing. Through out his life, he believed he was doing the right thing but looking at how his actions broke his family, he could only feel a surge of anger towards the people who have betrayed him. He truly wished there was more he could do right now to offset the consequences of some of the mistakes he had made. If he can make things easier for Jon and Sansa even by a small margin he would be happy for it. But now, he felt so powerless and he hated it. 

The group came to a halt when they could get a clear visual of the backside of the castle, “From here, we walk without the lights” Jon stated as he got off his horse and helped Sansa get off from hers. He asked one of the Freefolk to take the horses back and meet up with the rest of the army up front while the other wildling tagged along. 

Sansa just noticed Jon was carrying a cage with a bird inside, she was really curious what he was going to do with it. Ever since the time she spent in Castle black, she has learned a lot about this world, things like customs and traditions and how different each person’s lifestyle was. When the torch was put out, it turned pitch black as she had no vision. Jon had took hold of her hands and sort of helped her navigate their way forward. It wasn’t long before they reached the foot of the castle wall. 

Once they reached the spot, Jon took out a rope he had prepared specifically for this which had a claw shaped hook tied to one end. He opened the cage and gave the hook to the bird which carried it all the to the top and placed it on the edge of the wall.

“What just happened?” Sansa asked confused, with the limited vision that she had, she couldn’t tell what was going on. 

“This person is a Warg, he used the bird to place the hook on top so that we can climb up” Jon explained.

“A what?” Sansa didn’t follow. She heard Jon just smile at that.

“Not the time, I’ll explain later” he turned to the wildling, “Keep a watch from the top and wait for my signal. Once you see it, gather up with the others. If things don’t go as planned, wait for us here if you can”

Sansa heard the conversation and out of nowhere, Jon just lifted her up and carried her over his shoulder. It took all of her ho not make a noise, after all, this entire operation was depending on how stealthy they can be, “Jon..!!! What are you doing?” 

“Carrying you to the top, would you rather climb by yourself” he said sarcastically. 

Of course it would be impossible for any normal person to even do this. But for Jon, with him being blind, the darkness didn’t matter at all. Using his heightened senses, he was able to climb up and also he was strong enough to even carry his sister along with him.

“You are a lot lighter than I thought, are you not eating enough” Jon asks genuinely but Sansa couldn’t help but blush at that. 

“What do you mean? I have always been the same, and no offense but this is the first time you are lifting me, how can you tell I have gained weight without being able to see me?” She asks not in a way to offend him but she was just curious. 

Jon could only laughed at that, “I mean, even though I can’t see you, I am able to make a rough estimate of your shape using the air around you. It is like, The air surrounding you smells different from the air that is touching you, so using that, I can roughly sketch a person’s figure in my mind” he explained. 

“Can you focus on the climbing” She was quick to change topics. She didn’t think she was heavy but it really made her feel insecure being carried like this. She was glad it was pitch black, she didn’t want anyone to see her blushing. She couldn’t figure out how Jon’s able to say these stuff without feeling anything weird or awkward. 

Jon was a lot faster than she expected as they made it to the top in no time. From here, the real plan begins. She watched as Jon sneak behind couple of guards and make them unconscious without them making any sound that could potentially alert the others in the castle. He was so light on his movements that no one saw it coming. Even though she just kept following him, she was really curious on how he knows which way to go, “How are you able to tell which way we are to go?” she could tell it’s probably due to his abilities but she still asked him anyway. 

“Direwolves give off a scent that is different from us humans so I was able to pick up the scent as soon as we came on top. It is most likely Rickon’s wolf, so I am just following it” Jon explains. Of course this wasn’t as easy as it sounds, ever since he came to accept his special abilities, Jon had relentlessly trained hard to make the best use of them. He learned to tell things and people apart based on their smell, sound and sometimes even touch. It was all useful for him to navigate through spaces. Even though he is blind, it can be said that he can “see” a lot more than what an average person can.

Robb on the other hand was quick to act, using his spirit form to his advantage, he was freely pushing ahead scouting the area for guards and he kept warning Sansa of their locations. But she was amazed that Jon also got their locations right as if he could hear Robb’s call outs. His skills never ceases to amaze her. “Over here, I see Rickon, he’s with, I believe Ramsey Bolton. You need to hurry” she heard her brother’s voice.

“Rickon’s in the room to our right with Ramsey… Lets hurry” She told Jon. 

Jon focused on picking up something towards the right side of the castle and Sansa was right. The closer he gets, he could pick up the wolf’s scent more clearly. He also picked up the presence of two others in the room, Must be Rickon and Ramsey her presumed. “How can you tell?” he asked Sansa. “You even knew Ramsey was there” 

Sansa felt stupid, She forgot only she could hear Robb’s voices and it was impossible for her to know the location otherwise. She tried to think of something, “Well you know, I was married to him right… That’s where he spends most of his time tormenting his prisoners” she told him and hoped it helped.

Jon could feel there was some kind of a gap upfront, must be the entrance he figured. They were hidden, tucked to the sides away from sight and Jon could tell the entire side was clear so it was only them with Ramsey and Rickon. “What do you see?” he asked her sister.

“Oh.. Uhh Rickon’s wolf is chained to the floor, looks really painful and Ramsey’s seated above. And Rickon is standing before him” She describes. She could only see the back of her brother but she could tell he has become a lot taller than the last time she saw him at Winterfell. “Do we make a move?” she asked Jon.

“No hold on” Jon asked her to wait. He could hear them talking, “… Do you really think your brother will come to save you? I heard he’s a bastard, I don’t see why he would risk his life to save you who is a true born. You are a threat to his claim” he heard Ramsey speak. And Rickon just laughs at his question.

“You find it amusing? Asks a irritated Ramsey.

“I feel sad for you, you really don’t know what it’s like to have a family, because if you did, you wouldn’t ask me that” Rickon tells him. “I heard you were a Bastard, even if you change your name, you cannot change who you are, That’s something I have learnt in my time away from here. If Jon cared for the claim, he would have already taken Winterfell from you”

“Alright, I seem to be in a good mood so enlighten me, what does it mean to have a family?” Ramsey asks him.

“The experiences you gain growing up in a family defines the kind of person you become. The childhood I remember with Jon and the kind of influence my father had on his defines us. That’s why Jon’s different from you. You are nothing but the bastard son of a backstabber who killed his king at a wedding. A cowered that’s all you are and that’s all your legacy will be” Rickon states. 

Ned & Catelyn who have been listening the whole time, could tell how much their son has grown. They didn’t get to spend much time with him even when he was young and later with everything happening, he became alone in this world, but they were happy to hear he has grown up to be a fine man. But their thoughts were cut short when they saw Ramsey grab Rickon’s neck.

“You know I could kill you right” Ramsey says.”For saying something like that to my face”

“I never had any expectations, in fact I had hoped Jon and Sansa don’t risk their lives over someone like me. I am just ashamed that I am dying to a loser like you” Rickon doesn’t hold back.

“You have some balls, I give you that. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure your death will be so painful that you will beg me to kill you” Ramsey tells him. “The same may not be for your wolf here though, you see, I prefer hounds” Ramsey approached the chained wolf with his knife intending to cut off the head.

Rickon just stood there watching knowing there was nothing he could do, but to his surprise he heard someone, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you” He looked towards the source of the voice, the familiar voice and couldn’t believe his eyes. 

Ramsey was as shocked as his prisoner. He saw a person wearing a wolf mask approach him. Within seconds, he pushed in and was holding his sword towards his neck. And closely behind him, he saw his wife Sansa, “My love, you could have told me you were visiting, I would have received you myself. I am assuming this must be your bastard brother” 

“Unchain the wolf” Jon gave the order. He didn’t want to waste time with him, it was best to speed things up. One thing he was sure of was to not let Sansa and Ramsey interact in any way. As much hatred she carried for the man, Sansa should have to relive those nightmare of the days she had spent here, in her own home. 

Sansa watched the wolf pounce on Ramsey the second it was free. He didn’t do anything to him as though it was waiting for a command from Rickon. The weight of the beast was enough to keep Ramsey stuck to the floor, “I don’t know how you came in here but don’t think you’ll be leaving this place alive, did you forget the size of my Army, You three are trapped here. Let’s make deal, I’ll let you take your brother and the wolf, leave your sister here and I’ll let you go back to the freezing hole you came from” Ramsey tried to negotiate his way out. “What do you say my love?” 

Sansa could feel her blood boil, even the sight of him disgusts her but when ever he makes that face, the smug face that he had when he took advantage of her, as if he owned her, like she was his toy that he could play with anytime he wanted. Although she was angry, the flashes of her woeful night came back to her flooding causing her to suffocate. She tried her best to not show it outside, she didn’t want to give Ramsey the satisfaction of seeing her like this.

“Rickon, call your wolf back” Jon told his brother. 

A visibly confused Ramsey reluctantly got back to his feet. Usually he is an expert of feeding on other’s emotions, that’s how he excel at being breaking anyone and everyone, but in Jon case, since most of his face was hidden behind the mask, he couldn’t read what he was thinking. Thinking that Jon was considering his offer, He just tried pushing further believing he still had the upper hand in this negotiation, “What do you say? I’ll even tell you how you can escape, take this sword to my throat and every one will leave way for you. You can just escape once you reach the gate. I’ll take good care of you sister, After all, she is my wif—-” Before he could finish the line, a hard fist landed on his face.

Sansa was surprised by Jon’s actions, In a way the shock brought her out of her hyperventilation. She was able to breathe normally but Jon just went hammock on Ramsey as he unloaded a barrage of punches all over his face. Even when Ramsey went down, he aggressively lifted him up and placed him on a chair. The next thing he did was to take a knife from his holster and pinned it down his thigh. He shut Ramsey’s mouth with hand so his screams were barely audible, “That’s for Robb” she heard him say. He took another knife and pierced it on his other thigh, “That’s for my Sister” She never know Jon could be so Violent. The happy Jon who was joking sometime back when they were climbing the castle walls were suddenly no where to be found. He was all serious and completely unapproachable. 

Jon took the chains that was used to bind Rickon’s wolf to lock Ramsey’s hands together leaving his movements completely restricted. “Let’s go out” he asked Sansa and Rickon to just follow him.

“Wait, we are just going to walk out the front door, just like that?” Sansa asked, to which Jon didn’t say anything and was virtually dragging Ramsey out of the hallway. To her surprise, even though they passed though many guards along the way, none of them made any efforts to save their lord. 

Robb can tell what Jon was doing here, he was showing the dominance he had over their lord by severely damaging him. When their men see their leader in that shape, it would definitely effect them psychologically and dispels any motivation they might have to save him. With the act in the room earlier and now, Robb was witnessing the true Jon who was a tried and tested battle commander. Maybe because he’s been dead for so long but Robb could feel he was heavily outclassed by his brother and Honestly, it wasn’t too bothered by it.

Jon had dragged Ramsey and made it all the way to the front courtyard, it was just the wall upfront. He realized he has to send a signal his Freefolk army by setting the Armory on fire but seeing how hesitant the Bolton army were for saving their lord, he figured it would be a waste to burn all the weapons that could be of use to them in the war against the night king. Instead he was looking for something else to burn, he could feel there was a huge kind of object just hanging above where they were standing, “What is this thing above us?” He asked Rickon. 

Rickon was confused why Jon was asking such a question but he thought it would be best to just answer, “It’s a giant sigil of House Bolton” 

Jon knew that just what he was looking for, he wasted no time in burning it down. 

Tormund who was positioned with the freefolk army just outside, patiently waiting for Jon’s signal, suddenly say something burn. As the fire got bigger, it was more clear as it took a shape of a man tied to a cross like thing. He knew it was the cue and he led the army charging at the gates. 

The Bolton army could not hear any footsteps probably because the land surrounding Winterfell was covered with huge piles of snow making it impossible to make any footstep sounds even with the horses. Soon, they saw a huge influx of people invading the castle. Some of the people who were posted for guard took position to defend while some lost all the will to fight. Due to this, their defense formation was all scattered and full of openings. When they saw a Giant walk in, that was the final straw. Even the men who wanted to fight decided to just surrender.

As Tormund and a bunch of freefolk took hold of the space in the courtyard, the movements and murmurings settled down as Jon walked up front to address them, “I know most of the people here had all once served by brother as his Bannermen. Now, I understand that you were just obeying the Bolton’s orders but if you were truly loyal, I would ask you how you could place your allegiance to another lord as soon as your king was brutally murdered. You could say you didn’t have a choice as there weren’t any suitable leaders, But I have brought two rightful leaders here with me, Sansa Stark, the eldest daughter and Rickon Stark, the trueborn son of Ned Stark. If you all can agree to place your trust in them once again, pledge your royalty to House Stark, just how your Ancestors have done for many many years, I will forgive this act and welcome to join us once again as our Bannermen”

When he finished it speech, there was silence for a few seconds so he continued with the next step, “This all started when the Boltons sided with Lannisters, who plotted and wrongfully murdered your Lord Eddard Stark, and betrayed their king Robb Stark for the sake of power, and today it will end with the Boltons. Tomorrow When the sun rises, it will be the end of House Boltons and a New beginning for House Starks. And trust me when I say this, we have many tough battles ahead of us, and if we are to survive them, we need to trust each other.” Jon finsihed and this time his speech was welcomed with a roar of chants in favor of House Stark. He could hear chants of “Long Live Lady Sansa” “To our lord, Rickon Stark” and most of all it was “The North Remembers!!!” this made Jon smile in pride. 

Sansa, although was happy to have gained everyone’s support, she didn’t fail to notice the fact that Jon completely distanced himself as if he has no role to play in the future and it made her worry. All this was made possible because of him and she couldn’t shake off the feeling that as the days go by, the gap with him was growing longer. She was truly concerned that she might lose him if this goes on. Or more like she has nothing to hold on to him, “Jon… What about you? You should be their King” she asked him. 

She saw him smile, “I feel there can’t be any other King in the North after Robb and also I am not a Stark. So I can’t be a king and i have no desire to be one either,” he looked towards Rickon and Sansa, “These are your men, Stark men. They will serve you well. I only have one goal and that is to defeat the Night King, I hope you will corporate when the time comes” 

Rickon didn’t really understand what Jon was talking about but he read Sansa agree with Jon, “I’ll leave Ramsey to you” he heard him say and leave. 

Meereen

Arya was staring at the reflection of herself on the mirror, She had let go of her Northener attire as the weather here in Meereen was so hot, even hotter than Braavos that it difficult to wear warm clothes. The one she is wearing right now was similar to what she was wearing in King’s landing when she was learning the ways of the sword. This one was a little more feminine but she didn’t mind. 

She looked at Nymeria staring at her, “How do I look? I wonder how Sansa would react seeing me in such clothes” she asks the wolf smiling. Even though it was seated on its two legs, it was already as tall as her. She was surprised at how quick Direwolves grow up. “Tyrion mentioned that Sansa was alive, I am happy I am not alone” she says. 

The wolf just pounces on her and licks her all over her face as if to say Arya was never alone, that she always had her at her side. Arya was laughing, “Alright Alright…. I just took a bath, I am supposed to have lunch with the queen you know” she was playing with her pet. Nymeria was right though, Arya couldn’t imagine how her journey would have been without her. Whenever she was in danger, she was always there for her. Arya always felt a connection with the wolf, as if she could share the wolf’s feelings. Like when Nymeria watched her sibling Greywind being killed, she shared the same feeling of losing a family member just like herself when Robb was killed. She truly treasured her relationship with this beautiful furball. 

Their play time was interrupted when Nymeria sensed someone approach, Arya turned to see it was the woman Missandei, who was hesitant to enter the room, “Don’t worry, she won’t bite” 

“Queen Daenerys wanted me to check-in on you to see if everything was to your liking. In case you have any concerns, feel free to ask me” Missandei as she instinctively goes to fix Arya’s bed that was a complete mess. Although it was due to her playing with the wolf, Arya was never the type who gave importance to such things.

“Oh you don’t have to, I cannot let the Queen’s friend to do this” Arya tried to stop her. 

Missandei was surprised, Arya was the first person to have noticed her friendship with the queen even though being a complete stranger. Every other person would never respect her for one being a slave or only respect her to the extent of being the Queen’s aide. She realized Arya had really sharp senses.

“I am surprised, you don’t seem like the most high born ladies from west that I have heard so much about” Missandei asks her. She distracts Arya and gets on to fix the bed.

“I am not a Lady!! And I don’t like being one” Arya says in a grumpy tone which only makes Missandei laugh. 

“You should make it a habit to do these yourself, I tell this to the Queen all the time, she is just like you when it comes to things like this. Its not to satisfy others but we do this for our own well being” Missandei explains in her natural tone which was as soft as ever. 

Arya was stunned, it was so different from the nagging she gets from her sister or even her mother. They always say how she was not lady like but never explained such things in detail. Something about Missandei’s words really made her want to do those things. 

“Let’s go, the Queen is expecting you” Missandei tells Arya and leaves. Arya then asks Nymeria to stay inside and follows the woman.

Elsewhere in the castle, Tyrion was shifting uncomfortably in his chair sipping his wine. He takes a small peak at Daenerys who was seated directly on the opposite side staring daggers at him. She’s been at it for he couldn’t count how long, “Your grace, I am no psychic but I can tell you are angry. Maybe if you can share it in actual words that I can understand, maybe I can help you” 

“Angry? Anger doesn’t even express how I am feeling right now after what happened yesterday” Daenerys tells him.

“Perhaps you are referring to the incident with Varys, I understand he made a mistake, I hope you would be kind enough to forgive him” Tyrion tries to help. He understands it is an unavoidable situation where Varys was on the wrong, he did feel some pity for his friend who helped him escape from King’s landing and brought him here, gave him a purpose. After a long time, he felt he found his place in the world serving Daenerys.

“Mistake? How can I trust him to advise me when he cannot be honest with me? You know what Arya called me? A thief and I felt ashamed because she was not wrong. The contract is something I approved and it has my seal on it, Anyone would think I stole the Stark family’s wealth when in reality I was deceived by my own adviser” Daenerys was furious.

Tyrion can see she is angry, “Your Grace, I believe Varys made that decision knowing the type of person you are and the difficult thing to admit”

“ And what would that be?”

“That we are broke, and we needed money. It’s not enough to boast that we have the largest Army in all of Westeros we should have the resources to manage them. Where do we get the money from? All our alliances were made for something tangible in exchange, Highgarden is rich as fuck but we gained nothing from being allied with them” Tyrion tried to make sense of as much as he could. 

“Do you even hear yourself?” Daenerys couldn’t believe what Tyrion. 

“Your Grace, if you want to rule, sometimes you need to make the hard decisions” 

“Do not try to Justify Varys’ actioned based on my ambitions, that’s not the kind of queen I intend to be plus, I named you as hand so that I didn’t have to resort to such actions” Daenerys tells him. 

Tyrion didn’t have a answer to that, and he couldn’t help but feel that he let her down. He was saved by the knock on the door, “it seems I am interrupting something serious” she heard a voice and it was Arya. “Maybe I should return later?”

“Oh not at all” Daenerys was quick to respond. She got up and walked to the girl. Arya looked so beautiful in that dress, although she did notice a sword sticking out from her hips, “That’s a nice sword you have” she says.

Arya looks down to grab it, “It’s called Needle. My brother gave it to me” 

Daenerys felt stupid for bringing it up, knowing her brother is dead, it might have reminded her of her brother. She had heard everything about the starks from Tyrion and she felt bad for her brother who was killed at a wedding of all places. “Oh you named your sword? How interesting” she tells her. 

“All swords in Westeros have names, For instance if you take Visenya Targaryen, he sword was called the Dark Sister” Arya explains.

Daenerys surprised at the sudden mention of her family member, “You seem to know a lot about my family” to an extent that she knew what swords they were using, even Daenerys herself didn’t know about this.

Arya seemed very casual, “She was my childhood hero after all, I grew up hearing stories about your family my father used to tell me a lot and Visenya was my favorite. I always ask him to tell me more about her, just because she was a woman who was not only skilled with swords but also she was a Dragonrider” 

Daenerys was really happy to hear about her family, “Come have a seat, This is Lord Tyrion, he is my hand” 

Arya looks at Tyrion who just waves at her, “I know, we’ve met when he came to Winterfell” 

“Oh.. I didn’t know that” Daenerys shares a look at her adviser who seemed to have left that out when he was telling about the starks. “Missandei, come sit” She saw Missandei hesitate, she wondered maybe because she was in Arya’s and that she was a High born lady from Westeros. But before she could say anything further, she heard Arya call Missandei to sit. She was starting to like the girl even more. She was like the sister she never had.

As they began to eat Daenerys had asked he about a lot of other stories Arya knew and it was truly fascinating. The entire lunch was had gone by quickly over those stories. After a long time, Daenerys felt that she had a meal filled with happiness, “Arya, I want personally apologies for what happened with Varys yesterday. I know as a queen I shouldn’t be making excuses but I did not know it was your family’s wealth” 

Arya didn’t respond but was taken back by how down to earth daenerys was even though she was the Queen. Through out the conversations over lunch, Daenerys was just like her when she was a little girl who enjoyed hearing those stories. She could tell it was the first time Daenerys might be hearing this and she felt sad for her. She imagine how it must be growing up not knowing your family. Slowly she was starting to see the Queen in a new light. 

“Arya, I know we agreed to help each other with our goals but I was thinking on what ways you could be of help to me and seeing that I am a Targaryen and you are the daughter of Ned Stark who along side Robert wished me dead—” Daenerys started to say but was interrupted by the fierce girl.

“My father never wanted you dead, In fact, he saved your life many times” Arya stated.

“What do you mean?” asks a confused Daenerys. 

“There were many times Robert wanted to kill you but as the Hand of the king, My father intercepted many of the assassins behind Robert’s back. The only time he couldn’t stop him was when Robert found out you were with child and was very determined to kill you. My father was the only one who opposed him even if it meant losing his Badge. Even Varys who was part of the counsel voted for you to die. I can’t believe you let him advise you” Arya said.

Daenerys could feel Arya was so tense but she took in everything she said. All this time, she hated the starks especially Eddard Stark who fought alongside Robert to overthrow her family. But is getting to know all her beliefs were misplaced and that Arya’s father was actually helping her. She wondered why though. She wanted to ask but Tyrion spoke instead, “Varys is sworn to Queen Daenerys now and we need his networking to gather information from Westeros particularly King’s landing” 

“Even if it means of letting someone who wanted you dead?” Arya countered.

“Yes, its not ideal but that is the way the world works. He decided based on his own position at that point in time as Robert’s adviser but that’s in the past. If we are to achieve our goals, sometimes we need to overlook these even if they might seem morally wrong because we need what they have to offer” Tyrion explains.

Arya can make sense of what Tyrion was saying. If it was the old her who was ignorant of such things, she would have had a hard time but after witnessing everything she has she can understand. But she didn’t want to give up on her father’s ideals. She always stood by it and will continue to do so, no matter the circumstances, “My father always says if you are not honest in what you do, then what you get out of it will never be good” 

Tyrion just sighed, “Its only good on paper, your father was too Honorable and that’s why he lost” he says when heard Arya bang the table. It spill a lot of food but she didn’t seem to care.

“I hate it when people say that, that’s not true at all. I would be content if it was that way but its not. My father always fights for the sake of someone else’s honor even at the cost of his own. He fought to defend the queen’s honor even when it meant him losing his position as the hand of the king which made him lose power in the capital. Even towards till the end, he agreed to a crime he never committed solely to defend my sister’s and my family’s honor even if it means being branded a Traitor” 

Daenerys was taken back by the display of anger from the little girl who always seemed calm and composed. But then, its probably how she herself would have reacted if someone speaks that way about her family, “Arya, please calm down” Daenerys took a napkin to wipe off the food that was spill on Arya’s hands and clothes, “Tyrion can you leave us?” she asks Tyrion to leave who looks at her, “Clearly you are not helping” 

Tyrion just sighed, “Arya, I apologize, It was not my intention to offend you or your father. If anything, I have a great deal of respect for the man and I take it from someone who had traveled everywhere, there is not a single person who disrespects him, there were times I wished I could be like him and follow his example and I still do” he says and leaves. 

Arya finally noticed what daenerys was doing, “Your Grace, you don't have to do this I can—” 

“Call me Daenerys, and no need to be so formal with me” Daenerys reassures her. 

Arya saw Missandei was already cleaning the mess she made, “I am sorry If I gave you additional work” 

Missandei just smiled and brushed off her apology, “Don’t worry about it. I may not know the whole story but I understand”

Daenerys was happy that Arya and Missandei got along well and as for her, “Here, I wanted to give you this before you cut me off” 

Arya saw Daenerys hand her a black cape which had a red Targaryen symbol imprinted on it, “What is this?” 

“I want you to be my Queensguard. We are traveling to Westeros soon and its a land where I have never been before, I would feel safe with you by my side” Daenerys says.

Arya surprised to hear that but Daenerys continued, “I had already decided this but after getting to getting to know more about you, It only reassures me, so what do you think?”

Arya thought about it and, “I am sorry but I can’t”

Daenerys was surprised, “Why? Why not?” She wondered if she was too direct or maybe she was expecting something in return. Does she need to add some perks to it.

“I mean I am truly honored by your gesture but I heard Queensguard & Kingsguard swear an oath not to marry. I can’t do that, there is someone I want to marry” Arya says so plainly with no emotions like it was the casual thing to say, but was surprised to see the Queen bursting out laughing. Even Missandei was hiding a smile, “What?” she asks.

Daenerys couldn’t help but find Arya’s innocence so adorable, “I am sorry. You know what, when I become the queen, this is the first rule I will change” she says, “Now tell me about this person who took your heart”


End file.
